Courtesy of The Washington Post, follow the live coverage of the Senate voting on ending the federal shutdown after 16 days, and lifting the debt ceiling. Please refresh this post for new updates.

10:40 p.m.: To cap off the past two and a half weeks, a House stenographer had to be escorted off the floor after she dashed to the microphone during the vote. "He [God] will not be mocked," the stenographer reportedly yelled.

House stenographer escorted away after running to microphone and yelling during vote to end shutdown http://t.co/4oMtQMg6RE

9 p.m.: Investors tell The New York Times they worry that this sort crisis will become a regular thing -- though this hanging on by our fingernails has been going on since 2011. If the shutdown-ending bill reaches President Obama, the government will be funded through January 15, and the Treasury can borrow money until February 7:

“I worry if this becomes a regular feature that all we can do is pass these three- or four-month fixes,” said Joe Kalish, the chief global macro strategist at Ned Davis Research. “If that’s going to be the case, it just puts this uncertainty into the market on a recurring basis.”

For one day, at least, investors breathed a little easier. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index ended the day just shy of the nominal record it hit in September (without adjustment for inflation), before the current impasse began. The short-term Treasury bills that were battered over the past two weeks were again popular as investors regained faith that the government would not default on its obligations.

The congressional battles’ direct effect on investors appears to be somewhat limited. The markets never reached the same level of panic that preceded the previous debt ceiling crisis in 2011 and the so-called fiscal cliff in late 2012.

8:54 p.m.: Sen. John McCain offers a little light humor while we wait for the House to move on the bill. The video is offline at this time, but will come back on when more action takes place in the House.

McCain jokes with reporters about the good ol' days: "When Calvin Coolidge and I worked together, things were a lot different."

8:47 p.m.: CNN reports that the House is expected to vote tonight on the shutdown-ending bill.

8:41 p.m.: Social media is criticizing Toomey's decision to vote against the shutdown-ending bill. Here's some of the tweets that discuss his role in voting against the bill. The Patriot-News Editorial Board has noted its concerns about Toomey's attitude toward a potential default:

8:28 p.m.: President Obama is now speaking at the White House and is thanking the leaders of both parties for working on the bill. "As soon as this agreement lands on my desk, I will sign it immediately." He said he would say more on the issue on Thursday.

8:25 p.m.: Toomey on why he voted against the shutdown-ending bill:

.@SenToomey 1 of 18 Senators who just voted against ending shutdown. It "does nothing" to curb overspending, he said in a statement @WGAL

Pays the late senator Frank Lautenberg’s widow the equivalent of a year’s pay of a senator

Increases the fees the Mine Safety and Health Administration can collect

8:03 p.m.: Courtesy of The Associated Press, here's the highlights of the bill:

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: Ends it immediately, finances federal agencies until Jan. 15. Workers furloughed without pay when the shutdown began Oct. 1 receive back pay.

DEBT CEILING: Government's authority to borrow money extended until Feb. 7. Using streamlined procedures, Congress could vote to block the debt-limit extension, but that effort was certain to fail.

HEALTH CARE LAW: Department of Health and Human Services must certify it can verify income eligibility of people applying for government subsidies for health insurance. By next July 1, the department's inspector general must report on the agency's safeguards for preventing fraud.

LONGER-RANGE BUDGET ISSUES: In accompanying agreement, House-Senate bargainers will negotiate over issues like budget deficits and spending levels. Bargainers must issue report by Dec. 13, but they are not required to come to agreement.

OTHER ITEMS: No pay raise for members of Congress in 2014; $636 million for firefighting for the Interior Department and the Forest Service; language allowing work to continue on a lock in the Ohio River between Kentucky and Illinois.

8:01 p.m.: The bill to end the shutdown has passed a procedural vote in the Senate, and voting on the final passage is underway. From here, it will go to the House. CNN is reporting that President Barack Obama could sign this bill tonight.

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